Summary
The mudskipper is a fish that walks — and even climbs — on land using its stiffened front fins like little arms. Deep Look shows how its body is built to breathe air, cross mudflats, and survive where the tide comes and goes.
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All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
Every animal is built for where it lives. The mudskipper's fins, skin, and gills let it do something most fish can't — leave the water and get around on land.
- What body parts let the mudskipper move and breathe out of water?
- How does living between the tides make walking a useful skill for this fish?
- What might happen to a mudskipper if it could not leave the water at all?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: structure, fin, gill, habitat.
Try it: Draw a mudskipper and label two body parts. Next to each, write the job it does to help the fish survive.